Pages

Monday, October 31, 2011

Just a quick update to say my Nyx (and Milani) haul has arrived from Cherry Culture!! Everything arrived beautifully packaged and well padded. Shipping was fairly quick too. I ordered on the 20th of October, it was processed and shipped by the 22nd and I received it today on the 31st! Not too shabby, I'd say!

Update: I have just discovered that all the polishes are in perfect condition, except for Gilded Glitter, which is the main reason I put in the order in the first place! The lid is sealed shut and I just can't get it open. This is so disappointing as I'd hate to have to put in a new order just to get my Gilded Glitter! Fingers crossed it all works out!

Second update: I am really disappointed with the Cherry Culture customer service. It took 3 and a half months to sort out ONE faulty bottle of nail polish. They asked me to post it back to them and promised that I would receive store credit for the cost of shipping. I sent them several emails, including proof/receipts of postage, and yet they insisted I would have to wait until they received the product before I could choose several items in lieu of the defective one, and guess what, I received a parcel yesterday with only a single replacement bottle of Gilded Glitter in it. Very, very disappointed that it took 3.5 months to resolve and I wasn't even accredited with the store credit I was promised. I definitely won't be purchasing from them again.

First of all, I just have to say, I'm totally loving being able to upload posts from my mobile! Woohoo!

Now to get down to serious business! What's everyone up to for Halloween? I have always been disappointed that I never got to experience trick or treating in the U.S. It always seems like a tonne of fun!

While it's not celebrated as widely here, I still enjoy getting all dressed up or doing something in keeping with the Halloween theme. Head on over to my other blog, Everyone Loves Beauty, to have a look at some makeup looks my fellow bloggers and I have come up with.

Now, I have been super excited about the range of limited edition Halloween themed nail polish strips that Sally Hansen brought out not too long ago, but never realized they were available here in Australia, till Glossbandit mentioned it in her post!

So of course I had to pick up a set on Saturday, great timing as I had plans to stop by Priceline that very day! They fit in really well with my last post on foil/Minx nails, as they are a glittery silver with a delicate black webbing overlay. Here they are, what do you think?

Honestly, they're super pretty, and I can't stop staring at them! They're called 'spun for you' and retail at $14.95 for a set of 18 strips (which is an odd number if you ask me but at least there'll be spares if you mess up a nail or two). It does seem a wee bit on the pricy side when you first think about it, but you get some gorgeous patterns that you wouldn't be able to get otherwise, so in that sense it's quite a deal! Plus, no drying time required, so you never wake up with pillow print on your nails the next morning. Win!!

Just remember, you'll have to discard the spares once you've broken the seal, as they lose their adhesiveness pretty quickly!

Sally Hansen: Spun for you

And just for fun, I'll leave you with a couple of photos from another pattern from the Sally Hansen range, it's called 'laced up'.

Sally Hansen Laced up

Have a great Halloween!!

Much love,
MM.
x

P.S- I just noticed the photos are a bit messed up but I'll fix them up tonight!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Sometimes we all like a little bling on our nails, don't we? Minx nails caused quite a fashion stir when seen on the likes of Beyonce, Blake Lively and Rihanna, to name but a few. Unfortunately, not all of us could afford the hefty price tag that came with it! Not sure what Minx nails are? Have a quick look at these photos to see if they'll jog your memory...

Blake Lively rocking Minx nails

Beyonce rocking Minx nails

Minx toes

Pretty, aren't they? They're basically a soft metal film that is applied using heat to your nails, which causes them to become pliable and mold to your nails. They're quite durable and last for weeks without chipping, but the hefty price tag (~70 AUD) is a bit of a deterrent.

So imagine my joy a few months ago when Revlon brought out a range of chrome/metallic nail polishes that were quite similar to the Minx look!

L-R : Silver Dollar, Gold Coin, Copper Penny

Available in silver, gold and copper, I own both Gold Coin and Copper Penny. Here I am wearing Gold Coin.

Gold Coin

Gold Coin

While it really is a yellow toned gold, it does tend to do what metallics do and changes colour slightly with its surroundings. I think it would be a great colour to wear come Christmas and New Year, because nothing says 'celebration' like a bit of bling! It's also quite a classy way to liven up an all-black outfit. :)

Available for approximately $14 from all places that stock Revlon cosmetics, including selected pharmacies, Myer and David Jones.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Let me share one of my favourite make up brands with you...Anyone who knows me knows that I am a great fan of the smokey eye and nude lip, and some months ago I discovered an amazing Australian brand specialising in...you guessed it, smokey eyes and soft, nude lips!

The only downside is that the company is based in Sydney, with no stockists near me in Melbourne, so while they do have an amazing website/online store, it's rather difficult picking out the shades that will suit your colouring (however, if you're based in Sydney, you're all set, you lucky thing!).

Anyhow, I sent Michelle, the director and owner of Harlotte Cosmetics, an email a few months ago asking her for colour recommendations, and I then bought three lipsticks and a lippie pot from her. The lipstick colours I got were Flasher, Birthday Suit and Striptease, and I also have a lippie pot in Exposed. How cute are the names of the products?!

(L-R: Flasher, Striptease, Birthday Suit and Exposed)

The lippie pots are sheer versions of the lipsticks, so if you want strong colour I'd suggest getting the lipsticks, but if you want more of a gloss, then I'd recommend the lippie pots (which by the way, are absolutely adorable). The lipsticks/lippie pots are extremely moisturising and do not feel drying at all, which is very important to me. I also got a smudge eye pencil which is one of my favourite eye pencils because it's a dream to blend/smudge.

Recently, I was lucky enough to win a free foundation from Harlotte, which I was really excited to try as it had just launched. I then asked Michelle if it would be possible to purchase a couple of extra things to be shipped out at the same time, and when she agreed, I put in an order for a smudge pot in Carpet Burn (deep green), and a pair of half lashes (Too Sweet). I should add I'm completely hopeless at lash application, although I love them, so I figured I'd get a pair of half lashes and practice on them, as they seem easier to apply than full lashes.

Anyways, my haul arrived today, and Michelle was kind enough to throw in a couple of freebies in the form of some latex foundation wedges and another pair of falsies (Drama Queen).

The complete haul

Afterglow foundation in H4

False lashes

Carpet Burn smudge pot

Seriously, how cute are these names?!

Obviously, I couldn't wait to get stuck into my new make up, so I came home and began experimenting immediately! I used Michelle's smokey eye how-to video as inspiration, so do let me know what you think.

In this look, I am wearing Harlotte's new After Glow foundation in H4, Carpet Burn smudge pot, black smudge eye pencil, Too Sweet half lashes, and Flasher lipstick. The foundation spreads really well, and is really thick in consistency, so you only need a little bit each time. I used my fingers but I will definitely be using a sponge or a foundation brush next time I use it. It really is extremely luminous so if you like luminous foundations I highly recommend it! I am totally in love with the smudge pot, it was super easy to use and you could build on the colour to get anything from a bit of definition to a really dark smokey eye. I'm definitely going to be purchasing more colours soon, not to mention one of the highlighters!

Excuse the terrible photo quality, the lighting in my flat is horrendous! I'm taking photos with my iPhone for now because they're still coming out better than when I take them with my camera.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Made Up Maiden blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, I will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. I believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner of this blog may be compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog may receive compensation for posts or advertisements, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

I won an exciting product today thanks to this amazing beauty website that I stalk every day, called Primped! Thank you, Primped!

It's called the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and it retails for approximately $83.50 from Myer and David Jones, or you can purchase it directly from the Dermalogica website. You can have a gander at this product here. This product was actually voted one of the best beauty buys by InStyle for 2011!

I first tried it a couple of months ago when I received a mini deluxe sample and I loved it! I haven't been using it every single day but I have been using it a couple of times a week and it's such a unique experience. It's a unique powder that you shake out onto wet hands and rub into a paste, that you then work all over your face (avoiding the eye area, of course). I plan to trial it every single day for the next week and then put up a post demonstrating my experience.

This product is packaged with full social awareness; you rip away the outer cardboard covering to reveal a specialised code that you enter online. Once you do, Dermalogica will then help fund a microloan to a region and small business type that you can select. How amazing is that, a skincare product with a conscience!♥

Monday, October 17, 2011

As the name of my blog may indicate, I created this blog to celebrate my love for all things beauty related!

I love nothing more than wandering around the beauty counters at my local department stores, reading beauty blogs online, watching how-to videos, chatting with fellow beauty addicts and shopping online! So I thought I'd come up with a personal blog to record my adventures and share my great finds with the world!

So if you've stuck with me this far, then do make a cup of hot chocolate, pull up a comfy chair, and settle in for the ride, won't you? :)

The Made Up Maiden is a Melbourne based beauty blog written by Nalini, a young professional with a great love for all beauty products (but is especially fixated on makeup, nail polish and fragrances).
Working in a male dominated industry by day, she moonlights as a beauty blogger by night, and is always on the lookout for new products to fall in love with! She loves exercising her creative side by showcasing various makeup and nail art looks on the blog.